Predictors of methamphetamine use and relapse

Subject Areas :

Farzaneh Jahanbakhsh ¹ , Mohammad Ali Gomroki ² , Farzane Raaii ³ , Ladan Shahba ⁴ , Marjan Shamspour ^{5 *}

1 - Department of psychiatry, Shahid Beheshti hospital, Afzalipuor Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2 - Department of psychiatry, Shahid Beheshti hospital, Afzalipuor Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3 - Department of psychiatry, Shahid Beheshti hospital, Afzalipuor Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
4 - Faculty of Medicine, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
5 - Department of psychiatry, Shahid Beheshti hospital, Afzalipuor Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Received: 2025-11-09 Accepted : 2025-08-02 Published : 2025-09-13

Keywords: Methamphetamine, predictors, substance abuse, relapse,

Abstract :

Methamphetamine (MAMP) is a stimulant that acts on the central nervous system (CNS). This substance, which is the second most consumed substance in the world, is therefore considered an important public health problem. The purpose of the present study was to identify the use and relapse antecedents for MAMP in an Iranian population, and to examine the relationships between attribution of these antecedents, demographic variables, psychiatric disorders and characteristics of MAMP use. A total of 170 patients admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kerman, each with more than one hospitalization in the psychiatric department diagnosed with MAMP-induced disorders, were included in this study. Their data related to the causes of MAMP use and relapse were collected with a questionnaire. The relationships among the use and relapse antecedents of MAMP, demographic variables and MAMP-use characteristics were analyzed. For analytical statistics, correlation, regression, independent t-test and analysis of variance were performed using SPSS version 29, and a significance level of P <0.05 was considered. The results of the analysis showed that male gender, low education, being unemployed, using other substances and aligning with the peer addicted group are the most important reasons for turning to MAMP use. On the other hand, unemployment and the use of other substances, along with addicted friends and the cheapness of MAMP, were among the most important reasons for relapse. The results indicate that multiple factors influence of use and relapse for MAMP, and may serve as a basis for construction of models for teaching to manage the antecedents and reduce the risk of relapse of MAMP use.

 

Keywords: Methamphetamine, predictors, substance abuse, relapse

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